PRESS RELEASE
Culture ireland stage NYU coup
Irish stars join Taoiseach to mark the Abbey and Gate theatres’ storm on Manhattan
18th July 08: An Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, TD was the guest of honour at an event hosted by Culture Ireland; the national agency charged with the promotion and advancement of Irish arts and artists worldwide; and Niall Burgess, Consul General of Ireland in New York, which celebrated productions from two power-houses in Irish theatre – the Abbey and the Gate - opening in New York this week. Also in attendance were Liam Neeson, Natasha Richardson, Stephen Rea, Barry McGovern, dancers Jean Butler and Colin Dunne, the legendary Milo O'Shea and Irish Ambassador to Washington, Michael Collins.
The Abbey Theatre presents the New York premiere of KICKING A DEAD HORSE, by the Pulitzer Prize-winning US writer and actor, Sam Shepard, in a co-production with the Public Theater, New York. Featuring Oscar-nominated actor Stephen Rea – in a role that Shepard wrote especially for him – the play opened on Monday 14 July and runs until Sunday 10 August 2008.
Three great actors perform three powerful Samuel Beckett monologues as the Gate returns, in this its fourth visit, to the prestigious Lincoln Center Festival 2008 with Gate | Beckett. ‘Eh Joe’ stars renowned Irish actor Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes is directed by Michael Colgan in ‘First Love’ and Barry McGovern has selected texts for ‘I’ll Go On’. Gate | Beckett runs from Wednesday 16th July – Sunday 27th July.
Director of the Abbey Theatre, Fiach Mac Conghail, says, “Both The Abbey and The Public are committed to producing work that engages with society and politics. This co-production between our great theatres bodes well for future dialogue between our two countries and will continue to support new writing and new theatre. ”
Eugene Downes, Chief Executive, Culture Ireland said: “The magnificent response which Irish theatre has received in the US this year has assisted in the development of our reputation as world leaders in theatre productions. Supporting outstanding Irish artists and companies to make these breakthroughs in the global arts world is why Culture Ireland exists, and we are proud to have made both of these tours possible."
Culture Ireland has provided funding for a significant number of Irish stage successes in the US this year including: Abbey's ‘Terminus’ in January; Semper Fi's ‘Ladies and Gents’ in March; Druid's ‘Walworth Farce’ in April; Pan Pan's ‘Oedipus Loves You’ in May; and Fishamble’s ‘Pride of Parnell Street’ in June.
Media Contact:
Q4 Public Relations 00 353 1 475 1444
Ruth O’Byrnes 00 353 86 055 8331
About Culture Ireland:
Culture Ireland is the national agency charged with the promotion and advancement of Irish arts and artists worldwide. Culture Ireland works with arts organisations, institutions and artists presenting Irish artistic events worldwide, creating increased opportunities for Irish artists and facilitating a concerted dialogue with other communities and cultures. The agency was established in 2005 by the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism and comprises a board of directors appointed by the Minister and an executive staff led by the Chief Executive, Eugene Downes. For more information, log onto www.cultureireland.gov.ie
About Abbey Theatre ‘Kicking a Dead Horse’
THE ABBEY THEATRE PRESENTS SAM SHEPARD’S ‘KICKING A DEAD HORSE’ AT THE PUBLIC THEATER, NEW YORK
Opening Monday 14 July 2008
July 2008 - The Abbey Theatre is delighted to present the New York premiere of KICKING A DEAD HORSE, by the Pulitzer Prize-winning US writer and actor, Sam Shepard, in a co-production with the Public Theater, New York. Featuring Oscar-nominated actor Stephen Rea – in a role that Shepard wrote especially for him – the play opens on Monday 14 July and runs until Sunday 10 August 2008.
KICKING A DEAD HORSE premiered at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, in March 2007, running on the Peacock stage for a four week sell-out run, before transferring to the Abbey auditorium the following September. Set design is by Brien Vahey, lighting design by John Comiskey and costumes are by Joan Bergin.
A funny and tender tale, KICKING A DEAD HORSE tells of one man's search for authenticity and was also directed by Shepard. It centres around Hobart Struther, a man with nothing to prove. So how come he's miles from nowhere with a dead horse on his hands?
Director of the Abbey Theatre, Fiach Mac Conghail, says, “I am very proud that the American premiere of Sam Shepard’s KICKING A DEAD HORSE, commissioned by Ireland’s Abbey Theatre, will open at the Public Theater. Both The Abbey and The Public are committed to producing work that engages with society and politics. This co-production between our great theatres bodes well for future dialogue between our two countries and will continue to support new writing and new theatre. ”
Sam Shepard is considered to be one of the world’s most important playwrights. His first plays, Cowboys and Rock Garden, were produced in New York as part of the off-off-Broadway theatre movement. Eleven of his plays have won Obie Awards including Chicago and Icaruss’s Mother (1965); Red Cross and La Turista (1966); Forensic and the Navigators and Melodrama Play (1967); The Tooth of Crime (1972); Action (1974); Curse of the Starving Class (1976) and Fool for Love (1982). He was awarded a Pulitzer Prize as well as an Obie Award for his play Buried Child (1979). Shepard also wrote the screenplays for The Right Stuff (1983), in which he played the critically-acclaimed part of Chuck Yeager, Paris, Texas (1984) directed by Wim Wenders and the Robert Altman-directed film version of his play Fool for Love. He also wrote and directed Far North (1989) and Silent Tongue (1994). As an actor he has appeared in the films Days of Heaven, The Right Stuff, Frances, Country, Fool for Love, Crimes of the Heart, Baby Boom, Steel Magnolias, Voyager, Thunderheart, The Pelican Brief and Safe Passage, as well as the TV movie Dash and Lilly. He has written a number of short-story books including Motel Chronicles (1982), Cruising Paradise (1996) as well as the Rolling Thunder Log Book, a diary of Shepard’s time on Bob Dylan’s 1975 Rolling Thunder Review tour. In 1986, Shepard was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 1992, he received the Gold Medal for Drama from the Academy and in 1994 he was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame.
Stephen Rea began his career at the Abbey Theatre before moving to London in the early seventies. It was in London that the Belfast-born actor was first directed by Sam Shepard, at the Royal Court, in Shepard’s own Geography of a Horse Dreamer. Following on from that Rea also appeared in Shepard’s Action, Buried Child and Killers Head, as well as directing the US writer’s play Little Ocean. In 1976 he worked with Samuel Beckett on Endgame. In 1980, returning to Ireland, Rea founded Field Day Theatre Company along with Brian Friel, Tom Paulin, Seamus Deane and Tomas Kilroy. Rea has also carved out a successful career as a film actor and has collaborated extensively with Irish film director and novelist, Neil Jordan. He was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his role in The Crying Game, written and directed by Jordan, and has starred in many more of Jordan’s movies including Angel, Company of Wolves, Interview with a Vampire, The Butcher Boy, Michael Collins, The End of the Affair and Breakfast on Pluto. Other films include Prêt a Porter, Fever Pitch, The Last of the High Kings, Trojan Eddie, V for Vendetta and the recently released The Good Shepard. Rea also received a Tony Award nomination for his stage role in Frank McGuinness’s Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me.
Further information on www.abbeytheatre.ie
About Gate Theatre’s Beckett Series
Wednesday 16th July - Sunday 27th July - Lincoln Center Festival 2008
Eh Joe · I'll Go On · First Love
Starring; Liam Neeson, featuring the voice of Penelope Wilton; Barry McGovern; Ralph Fiennes
Directors Atom Egoyan • Colm Ó Briain • Michael Colgan
Three great actors will perform three powerful Samuel Beckett monologues when the Gate returns, in this its fourth visit, to the prestigious Lincoln Center Festival 2008 in New York with Gate | Beckett, three Beckett pieces not originally conceived for the theatre.
In the first of these visits, the Gate helped launch the first Lincoln Center Festival in 1996 with the renowned Beckett Festival, producing all 19 of Samuel Beckett’s stage plays. The sold-out run met with universal acclaim, with Time Magazine calling it ‘the year’s great theatrical event’. In 1999 the Gate returned with a Friel Festival followed by an acclaimed Pinter Festival in 2001, which Michael Colgan was invited to curate.
Eh Joe will star renowned Irish actor Liam Neeson in his debut role for the Gate. Neeson, whose films include Schindler’s List, Michael Collins and Kinsey, last appeared onstage in New York in The Play What I Wrote and a revival of The Crucible in 2002. Eh Joe was first presented at the Gate in 2006, starring Michael Gambon, and subsequently transferred to the Duke of York’s Theatre, London, receiving critical and popular acclaim, with the Sunday Times describing it as “the greatest half-hour in theatrical history”. In January of last year the production was seen at the Sydney Festival as part of a sold out Gate Beckett Season with Charles Dance in the title role. This production was original staged and directed by esteemed film, theatre and opera director Atom Egoyan and features the voice of Penelope Wilton, with design by Eileen Diss and lighting by James McConnell.
The Gate Theatre’s celebrated production of I'll Go On is a one-man show, based on Beckett’s Molloy, Malone Dies and The Unnamable, with texts selected by Gerry Dukes and Barry McGovern. First performed at the Gate in 1985, this tour de force starring Barry McGovern, Ireland's greatest interpreter of Samuel Beckett, has toured worldwide to great critical acclaim. Directed by Colm Ó Briain, with design by Robert Ballagh and lighting by James McConnell, it was most recently seen at the Europalia Festival in Brussels and also at the Sydney Festival 2007 where the Sun Herald wrote “Barry McGovern's astounding performance was not only the best of the festival, but also among the best I've ever seen…Genius, no other word for it”.
First Love, Beckett’s darkly humorous post war novella, stars international stage and screen actor Ralph Fiennes with direction by Gate Theatre Director Michael Colgan, design by Eileen Diss, and lighting by James McConnell. This darkly comic tale was an instant success with audiences and critics alike: “Ralph Fiennes made 55 minutes feel like a lingering moment last night in a fluid, flawless opening of First Love” The Daily Telegraph.
This production of First Love was originally presented as part of the Sydney Festival 2007.
To end this very special season, all three actors plus guests will present two unique programmes of readings. Drawn from the works of Samuel Beckett, these hour-long repertories will each be composed of a selection of extracts from the novels and the poetry, as well as the shorter prose and dramatic works.
The Gate Theatre is grateful to Culture Ireland for their generous support with this tour.
For further Information or ticket booking please visit www.lincolncenter.org or call 001 212 721 6500